Workbook Questions Flashcards
Define assurance engagement
An assurance engagement is one in which a practitioner expresses a conclusion designed to enhance the degree of confidence of the intended users other than the responsible party about the outcome of the evaluation of measurement of a subject matter against criteria
Assurance type: reasonable
Assurance level: ______
Opinion: _______
Assurance type: limited
Assurance level: _____
Opinion: _______
Assurance type: reasonable
Assurance level: high
Opinion: positive
Assurance type: limited
Assurance level: moderate
Opinion: negative
Benefits of assurance to users:
- Enhances _____ of information being reported on
- Reduces risk of ____ bias, error or fraud in information being reported on
- Draws attention of the user to any _______ in the information being reported on
- Credibility
- Management
- Deficiencies
Benefits of assurance to the wider market:
- Ensures _____ information circulated in the market
- Gives investors added _____ in the market
- Improves _______ of organisations trading in the market
- Reliable
- Faith
- Reputation
The objective of an audit of financial statements is to express an opinion as to what?
Whether financial statements are prepared in accordance with an applicable financial reporting framework
Audit threshold: exempt from audit of 2 out of 3 applies:
- No more than _____ employees
- Revenue does not exceed £_____ million
- Gross assets do not exceed £______ million
- 50
- 10.2
- 5.1
The following companies must have an audit:
- Companies involved in the _____ and insurance markets
- Companies where shareholders of at at least _____ of the shares request one
- Where the company’s ______ of association require an audit
- ___-_______ public companies
- Any company which is a member of a group including one of the above
- Banking
- 10%
- Articles
- Non-dormant
Benefits of being audited:
- Value in having a business ____ by another set of professional eyes
- Provides additional ______ to third parties
- A growing _____ will one day require an audit
- An audit may have ____ benefits, such as the auditors recommending improvements in systems
- Scrutinised
- Assurance
- Business
- Subsidiary
_____ evidence is obtained during a review assignment, and the evidence is generally less ______ as some of the most reliable sources are not required
Less, reliable
It is the director’s job to manage the business so that its objectives are achieved. This may mean producing ____ returns for shareholders or meeting certain targets. It also means assessing what _____ _____ face the company and devising the necessary strategies to deal with them
Suitable, business risks
Per The Company’s Act 2006, it is the directors responsibility to:
- _______ assets
- Maintain accuracy of company _____ and ______
- Prepare and deliver ______ ______
- Safeguard
- Books, records
- Financial statements
Following the Enron scandal, the _____-____ Act was passed into US law in 2002.
This Act demands that CEOs and CFOs attest to the ____ of financial statements
Failure to attest to this act can result in ____ penalties
Sarbanes-Oxley
Veracity
Criminal
The responsibility of the external provider of assurance is determined by what four factors?
- The requirements of legislation/regulation
- The terms of engagement for the assignment
- Ethical and professional standards
- Quality control standards
It is the external auditor’s responsibility to:
- Form an independent opinion on the ____ and ______ of the accounts
- State in their auditor’s report whether in their opinion the information given in the director’s report and strategic report is consistent with the _____ ______
- Confirm that the accounts have been properly prepared in accordance with the ______ Act
- Truth, fairness
- Financial statements
- Companies Act
In order to verify the truthfulness and fairness of accounts, an external auditor must ensure that
- The audit is ____ properly
- ______ appropriate audit evidence is gathered
- The evidence is properly ____ and ____ conclusions are drawn
- Planned
- Sufficient
- Review, valid
An assurance firm may be employed to either:
- Assist the company with ____ its accounting records
- Assist the company with preparing _____ information
- Prepare the _______ statements of the company
- Prepare the _____ _____ return of the company
I.e. management ______ overall responsibility
- Maintaining
- Management
- Financial
- Corporation tax
Retains
The principles and rules concerning the provision of non-audit services by the audit firm to its clients are set out in the what?
The FRC’s Ethical Standard for auditors
Sarbanes-Oxley Act has resulted in:
- ______ enforcement of auditor independence
- A ____ ______ _______ _____ ____ (PCAOB) has been set up to inspect audit files of US listed and other public interest clients
Stricter
Public Company Accounting Oversight Boars
ISA ____ “Communicating deficiencies in internal control to those charged with governance and management” sets out that auditors should determine whether audit work has identified any deficiencies in internal control. If these are significant, what should the auditor do?
Communicate them in writing on a timely basis
The primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of fraud tests with which two actors?
To fulfil this, they can:
- Follow a culture of ____ and _____ behaviour
- Establish a sound system of _____ control
- Implement ______ and ____ ensuring the orderly and efficient conduct of the company’s business
- Those charged with governance of the entity
- Management
- Honesty and ethical
- Internal
- Policies, procedures
ISA ____ states that the auditor must obtain ______ assurance that the financial statements, taken as a whole, are free from material misstatement
240, reasonable
True or false:
Per ISA 240, auditors are entitled to accept representations as truthful and records as genuine, unless there is evidence to the contrary
True
If auditors identify misstatements which might indicate that fraud has taken place, they should consider the implications of this for other aspects of the audit, particularly _______ representations which may not be trustworthy if fraud is indicated
Management
True or false:
Auditors are required to obtain particular written representations from management acknowledging its responsibility to design and implement internal controls to prevent and detect fraud
True
If fraud or error causes the financial statements to not give a true and fair view or there is a fundamental _____, it should be included in the auditor’s report in the usual way, thereby notifying the ______
Uncertainty, shareholders
What type of fraud is an audit supposed to pick up on?
Those which have a material effect on the limited nature of audit
Attempts to make auditors more responsible for discovering fraud misses the point that management ultimately is responsible for _____ within the company
Everything
What two categories of law and regulations are auditors interested in?
- Those with a direct impact on the financial statements
2. Those which provide a regal framework within which the company operates
The auditor is required by ISA ___ “Consideration of laws and regulations in an audit of financial statements” to obtain evidence about compliance with laws and regulations. It states the auditor should:
- Make enquiries of _______
- Inspect correspondence with relevant licensing or ______ bodies
- Ask those charged with governance if they are aware of any ___-________
250A,
Management, regulatory, non-compliance
The auditors should obtain _____ _______ that management has disclosed all known instances of actual or possible non-compliance with laws and regulations
If auditors cannot obtain sufficient appropriate evidence about the suspected non-compliance, what might this represent?
Written representations
A limitation on the scope of the audit, which will result in the auditors not being able to give an unqualified opinion
What should the auditor do when they suspect non-compliance? (2)
- Document findings
2. Discuss them with management
If an auditor suspects that management or those charged with governance are involved in compliance, who should they communicate this matter with?
If the above is not available, who should they report to as a matter of last resort?
The next higher level of authority at the entity
Legal aids for legal advice
When should non-compliance be communicated with shareholders?
Only when it causes the financial statements to not give a true and fair view, or if there is a fundamental uncertainty
Related party transactions: relevant ____ and _____ should be disclosed so that the reader of the financial statements can decide for themselves whether such transactions have led to a manipulation of the financial statements
Related parties are those people/companies that might have, or be expected to have, an undue ______ on the company being audited
Amounts, relationships
Influence
True or false:
Company law and accounting standards requires all transactions with related parties to be disclosed
True
Related party work:
At planning: materiality is set to include that which is material to the ___ _____ as well as the client, so the level of testing has to be planned at a much _____ threshold
At testing: what should the auditors request from the directors?
Related party, lower
A list of related parties
Which ISA deals with related parties?
550
Where related party transactions are found, what should the auditor check?
That the appropriate disclosures are made in the accounts
Global standards are developed by the _____ ________ __ ______ (IFAC). One of their sub-committees is the ______ _______ ____ _______ ________ ____ (IAASB)
International Federation of Accounts
International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board
What three key committees are there under the Financial Reporting Council regarding standards?
- Codes and Standards Committee (responsible for actuarial policy, audit and assurance, corporate governance, and accounting and reporting policy)
- Conduct committee (responsible for audit quality review etc.)
- Supervision committee (providing day-to-day oversight of the work of the FRC)
Following various high-profile failures, the ____ review and CMA investigation concluded that regulatory change was necessary
Kingman
What body will replace the FRC?
The Auditing, Reporting and Governance Authority (ARGA)
Define the expectations gap
The gap between the expectations of users of assurance reports and the firm’s legal responsibilities
To help reduce the expectations gap, the content of the Companies Act auditor’s report has been expanded to:
- Set out _____ of auditors and directors
- Explain how an audit is conducted
- Responsibilities
When the firm issued an engagement letter, the letter includes a paragraph reminding directors of their responsibilities and setting out the firm’s ________
Responsibilities
Audit committees for listed entities may need to perform a number of duties, such as
- ______ and monitor the external auditor’a independence and objectivity and the effectiveness of the external audit process
- Monitoring the work of _____ audit
- Review
2. Internal
Negligence in an audit can usually be traced to one of four main cases:
- Failure to assess audit _____ properly
- Failure to ______ appropriately to audit risk
- Failure to recognise and respond to situations where the auditor’s _____ is threatened
- The failure to recognise and respond to situations beyond the auditor’s area of ______
- Risk
- Respond
- Objectivity
- Competence
Which act and regulation single out accountants as having special responsibilities to act against money laundering and bribery?
The proceeds of crime act
Money laundering regulations
True or false
If an accountant has grounds for suspicion that money laundering is taking place at a client, they do not have to report it
False
If an accountant suspects money laundering, who should they report to? Who does this person report to?
What is the name of the position of the person who ensures the firm complies with regulation?
Their nominated officer (MLRO). They report to the National Crime Agency (NCA)
Money Laundering Compliance Principal (MLCP)
Failure to comply with money laundering legislation can result in a jail term or even ____ years
14
The introduction of POCA now means accountants must comply with “Know your client” (KYC):
- The firm will need to have checked the client’s identity and keep evidence of this for ____ years after they cease to be a client
- Auditors must think about the _____ nature of the business’s sales and the source of capital
Six
Real
Per the bribery act 2010, both _____ and accepting financial or other advantage to or from another party for either improper conduct or performing a legitimate task improperly constitutes a bribery offence
Offering
Auditors may have a duty to report suspicions of bribery to the NCA under _____
POCA
The government suggests the six following principles should be focussed on by audit firms to prevent bribery:
- Proportionate procedures to mitigate risk
- ____ level commitment
- Risk assessment that is ______
- Relationship due diligence procedures
- Communication and ______
- Monitoring and review
Top
Periodic
Training
Five fundamental principles?
- Integrity
- Objectivity
- Professional competence and due care
- Confidentiality
- Professional behaviour
Integrity: an accountant should be straightforward and ____ in all professional and business relationships
Honest
Objectivity: a professional accountant should not allow _____, conflict of interest or undue influence of others to override professional or business judgements
Bias
Professional competence and due care: a professional accountant has a continuing duty to _____ professional knowledge and skill at the level required to ensure that a client or employers receives competent professional service based on current developments in practice, legislation and techniques
Maintain
Professional behaviour: a professional accountant should comply with relevant _____ and _____ and should avoid any action that discredits the profession
Laws, regulations
Threats to objectivity:
- Self-_____ threat
- Self-______ threat
- M_______ threat
- A______ threat
- The familiarity or ______ threat
- I_______ threat
- Interest
- Review
- Management
- Advocacy
- Trust
- Intimidation
There are a number of general safeguards against threats to objectivity, including training and support systems offered by the ______
ICAEW
Procedures envisaged under the FRC ethical standard for threats to objectivity:
- ____ of duties between those engaged in audits and those providing non-audit services
- ______ of engagement partners and staff
- Consulting the ____ partner
- Procedures for evaluating the _____ of potential new client
- Segregation
- Rotation
- Ethics
- Integrity
The IFAC Code of Ethics is frequently referred to as the IESBA Code, after the ______ ____ ________ _______ for ______
International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants
FRC ethical standard section 1: independence is ‘freedom from conditions and relationships which, in context of an engagement, would compromise the ____ or _____ of the firm or covered persons’
Integrity, objectivity
FRC Ethical Standard Section 1: General requirements and guidance
This requires a firm to:
- Monitor _______, using systems to ensure that actual or possible breaches are promptly communicated to the engagement partner
- Evaluate the ______ of identified possible or potential breaches
- ______ management decision-taking in behalf of the audited entity
- Establish an _______ mechanism, to ensure that compliance actually happens
- _____ staff to communicate about ethical issues
- Compliance
- Implications
- Prohibit
- Enforcement
- Empower
UK listed and PIE clients require review of ethical compliance by an ______ partner
Independent
True or false:
The audit engagement partner should ensure that those charged with governance of the audited entity are appropriately informed on a timely basis of all significant facts and matters that bear in the auditor’s objectivity and independence
True
FRC Ethical standard section 2: if you are tempted to take a _____ interest in an entity you audit, do not do it
Financial
If staff move from the audit firm to the audited entity, there should be _____ during the process and consideration of the potential impact this may have
Disclosure
If a former director/employee of an audited entity who was in a position to exert significant influence over the preparation of the financial statements join the audit firm, they should not be assigned to a position where they can influence the conduct/outcome of the audit or its affiliates for _____ years following leaving the audit client
Two
What happens when a partner is appointed director or takes in some other key management position at the client within two years of being involved in the audit?
The firm shall resign as auditors (the firm shall not accept reappointment as auditor until a two-year period, commencing when the former partner ceased to have the ability to influence the conduct and outcome of the audit, has elapsed or the former audit partner ceases employment with the former audited entity)
Accepting a commission from a client constitute a self-____ threat
Interest
Recommending the services of a client tends towards an ____ threat because the accountant is promoting the client
Advocacy
An engagement partner/key staff involved in an audit engagement for a PIE or UK listed client can spend no longer than _____ years in post
This employment period can be seven years for engagement quality control reviewers, key partners involved and senior staff
Five
For non-listed clients, consideration should be given to a partner’s objectivity once they have held the role for ___ years
Ten
True or false
Contingent fees for both audit and non-audit work are not prohibited
Falsr
Audit fees should not be influenced or determined by the provision of ___-_____ services
Non-audit
For audit of PIEs only, the total fees charged by the firm for non-audit services must be limited to no more than ___% of the average audit fees paid in the last three consecutive financial years
70%
Fees for audit and non-audit services for a UK listed or PIE client should not exceed __% of the firm’s fee income
10%
The fee percentage limit for non-listed clients is __%
15%
True or false
The firm should resign as auditor where there is actual or potential litigation between the firm and the audited entity
True
Due to difficulties a new firm may find in its early years, the fee percentage limits do not apply for a ____ year grace period
2
True or false
It is never appropriate for the audit firm to find itself in a position where it undertakes, or is perceived as undertaking, a management role
True
Section 5 of the FRC ethical standard: sets out a clear general approach to non-audit services that the auditor is allowed to supply based on:
- What an objective, reasonable and informed ___ _____ would think about the impact on the firm’s objectivity and independence
- The need for the firm to have _____ to monitor and deal with potential
- The need for the client to have ‘informed ________’ where the audit firm concludes it can provide non-audit services to a client aware of these issues
- Third party
- Procedures
- Management
Section 5 of the FRC ethical standard: this approach states that the firm should:
- Consider the impact of the provision of ___-______ services
- Establish _____ to counter any threats
- Communicate with ‘those charged with _____’
- Document the rationale for the decisions taken
- Non-audit
- Safeguards
- Governance
What are audit related services?
Work carried out by the members of the engagement team that is closely related to the audit work
True or false
The firm can undertake internal audit work for any audit client
False
True or false
The firm should not undertake any work on IT systems which would be important to any significant part of the accounting or financial management system or to the production of the financial statements on which the auditors would place significant reliance
True
The firm should not undertake valuation services for a non-listed audited entity where the valuation would both a) involve a significant degree of _____ judgement, and b) have a ____ effect on the financial statements
Subjective, material
True or false
Litigation support and legal services should only be provided to non-listed clients, and must be non-subjective
True
Acting as expert witness or solicitor for a client may lead to ______ and _______ threats
Advocacy, management